What is a REST API?

Let’s say if you are trying to find videos about python on YouTube. You open YouTube, type “python” into a search field hit enter and you see a list of videos about python. 

A REST API works in a similar way, you search for something and you get a list of results back from the service you are requesting from.

Each URL is called a request while the data sent back to you is response.

Methods in REST API:

  • GET - This request is used to get a resource from a server. It’s a READ operation. 
  • POST - This request is used to create a new resource on a server. It’s a CREATE operation.
  • PUT - This request is used to update a resource on a server. It’s a UPDATE operation.
  • DELETE - This request is used to delete a resource on a server. It’s a DELETE operation.

How to use Postman 

Step 1:  Go to Settings, check SSL certificate verification is unchecked.

 

 

Step 2: Now we can proceed to run Versa API using Postman tool:

Examples: 

We will be using API port 9182 for REST API authentication using HTTP basic authentication with username and password.

GET API Request:

  • Select GET method. Copy API to URL address.
  • Select Authorization > Type: Basic Auth > Enter Versa Director GUI Credentials 
  • Click Send 
  • After sending request you will get 200 OK Response.

This is the example of GET API using Postman:

API URL: https://10.192.162.128:9182/vnms/appliance/appliance?offset=0&limit=25 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

POST API Request:

  • Select POST method. Copy API to URL address.
  • Select Authorization > Type: Basic Auth > Enter Versa Director GUI Credentials 
  • Add payload to Body and Click Send 
  • After sending request you will get 200 OK Response.

API URL: https://10.192.132.50:9182/vnms/sdwan/workflow/templates/template/

Body Payload:

This we can get from the browser 

 

 

 

 

 

 2022-10-27 update:

You can easily find what API to use in the developer tools in your browser.

1. We opened page which shows all devices for the Versa tenant:

 

In the Developer tools of the browser we see the request which was actually sent:

NOTE: underlined in green text is the actual API we need to copy to the Postman to work.


And the output contains the same devices as we saw in the GUI:


Now check the result, you enter underlined text after the port number and voila, output is the same as in the Versa Director: 

 

 This way you can find the REST API for any operation which is done through the Director's GUI.